Help with Dream Act Financial Aid Question...

Hello. I would just like to get some person by person account on how I could get to be listed as a Financial Aid Eligible student, I reside in California. I have already filled the Dream Act Application online here: http://www.csac.ca.gov/dream_act.asp - 7 Days counting on wait. I haven't got aany notifications.

I have part of my tuition fees waived from a non-residency application. I know I am an AB 540 student but what is the difference between the AB 131?

I will talk with my college's Financial office again but they would probably say that I should just fill out the application online and wait.

But I really do not understand the structure for getting my Student Aid. This is California's Student Aid. I understood and have done the DACA well. Kindly please, if anyone was in a similar situation, walk me through what I really need to do to get my tuition lowered or get the steps towards applying for scholarships . I am on a budget and my job relocated, I just think it would just help me. I really haven't paid attention to scholarships or fee waivers before but I'm eager to learn more about what I can apply for. It would be great if anyone knows scholarships we California students can look into.

So basically... My Tuition Residency-Fee's Waived > Dream Act Application > Scholarships???

Thank you so much

I also applied about a week ago, all we can do now is wait for any notifications.

Basically what it means to be an AB540 student is that you pay in state tuition instead of paying out of state + international tuition fees = A LOT of money. What AB131/130 do is help you even more by getting your fees waived and even getting some extra money to help you pay for stuff like books. So for example, last year I applied for CA Dream act, but didn't receive any money so this spring semester I submitted to the school the AB540 form AND BOG fee waiver. So with AB540 I was only being charged for instate tuition and the BOG waiver took care of that tuition so I only had to pay for the health fee and books. So if you don't receive any aid you want to make sure you submit the AB540 & BOG fee waiver to the school you're attending and then you will only have to pay the health fee and books.
One more thing, you can also apply for Cal Grants but I don't know how that works so you should definitely ask your school's financial adviser.

One is the CA DREAM Act and the other allows you to received institutional aid (such as scholarships the school offers).

Hi. This is for a four year public university at CA:

So you've filled out the CA Dream Act - great, that will give you access to Cal Grants. Next thing for you to do, is fill out the FAFSA with your valid social security number. Your school will use the FAFSA to determine how much institutional aid you can get. You just won't be eligible to get federal financial aid.

That's it!

^That is the wrong information. It is not the FAFSA.

http://www.csac.ca.gov/dream_act.asp CA DREAM ACT

Nevermind. I think you are talking about institutional aid? right.

I think it depends on the instituion. Never submit the FAFSA. Sometimes they will ask you to fill a FAFSA just so they can use it as a worksheet to determine Financial aid eligibility. But, it is not submitted to the FEDS. The CA DREAM ACT has is own application.

A lot of UCs and Cal States are asking for us DACA students with SSNs to fill out the FAFSA so they can see how much money we can get from the university itself (loans that the university directly offers and free aid money). The CA Dream Act, which she already filed, is used to get STATE grants.

Some people who didn't get DACA and a SSN will just file the CA Dream Act, and the institution will use that [like the FAFSA] to see how much institutional aid one can get.

I am at a Cal State asshole! None of us were asked to submit FAFSA for institutional aid. The school gave out grants on their own. I heard that some schools ask you to do that. It is why I stopped myself and asked.